The Montana Association of Planners has awarded the Code Enforcement Division a $500.00 grant to assist in defraying the cost of hosting a 1-day Enforcement Skills Workshop with a nationally recognized instructor, Kelvin Beene, from Aurora, Illinois. The grant will help defray the cost of bringing the instructor to Billings, MT.  All donations of $500 or more require City Council approval. 

Kelvin Beene will provide new and important information on effective personal communications, the social and economic responsibility of code enforcement agents, and building credibility with community residents. Kelvin Beene is a Nationally Certified Training Instructor with 29 years of enforcement experience ranging from law enforcement and code enforcement to protective services. Attached is short description of the workshop and the workshop flyer. The workshop will be free of charge for all participants. The majority of the cost of the workshop will be paid through the travel & training budget line item for the Code Enforcement Division.

City Council may approve or disapprove the $500.00 donation from the Montana Association of Planners for the Enforcement Skills Workshop. If the Council does not accept the grant, the Code Enforcement Division will need to use additional City budget funds for the Code Enforcement Workshop. 

The Code Enforcement Division is committed to providing the 1-day workshop on June 18, 2015. Additional funds may be available within the existing operations and maintenance budget of the Code Enforcement Division if the grant is not accepted by the City.

Staff recommends that the City Council accept the $500.00 grant from the Montana Association of Planners.